Good Morning Wednesday

What a lovely message about your son Kitty. So glad that all came right in the end.
Welcome to our new farming poster - your ram seems to be doing his job!
Still sitting in bed with coffee, the cat and a gardening magazine. I must get moving!

Happy anniversary to the harrigrans

Congratulations to your GD Annapops

Good morning from a grey but dry NE. The windows were covered in condensation when I peeped out.
Today is our 53rd wedding anniversary and we will be having our special lunch at home. We will open the vintage Champagne, no point in keeping it any longer or someone else might get the pleasure.
DD says to expect a bouquet.
Too cloudy to see Mars again.
Very early message from sister to say she was going to have an injection in her eye TMI at the crack of dawn.

Thank you Marydoll. What a great recipe. Definitely have to give it a try ?

Congratulations to your GD Annapops

Gingster another vote for the seafront hotel beginning with R afternoon tea with a beautiful view (I can thoroughly recommend evening meals and lunches also)

Good morning Mick and the GM team, from east London where the sun has just come out... ?
I have work to do this afternoon on line, so I hope the sun stays out long enough for my walk this morning.

I have a pile of lovely birthday reading, but feel I need to finish my current book before I dive in. The trouble is that it’s Mary Trump’s Too much and Never Enough and I can only read about D Trump in short bursts.

Ginster and Sar, we too have been to that hotel in Thorpe Bay. We had a lovely weekend there, in a room with a little balcony overlooking the sea.
Kitty what a wonderful son, you must be so proud. That teapot will be treasured.
Annapops what a triumph for your DGD ... you’re not proud then ... (i’m kidding of course).
Good morning Doghouse 4, hello to Gilly and Bluesapphire and have a good day, all. ?

Oldbutstilluseful

To make macaroon bars (makes 18-20):
• 1 large potato (100g after boiling)
• 400-500g icing sugar
• 2-3 drops vanilla extract
• 300g dark chocolate
• 100g dessicated coconut

Boil the potato until soft. Drain, measure out 100g, then mash until there are no lumps, and leave until cold.
Put the cold mashed potato, vanilla extract and 100g of icing sugar in a bowl. Mix well – the potato might seem very dry, but it will change into a very thick, sticky paste. Keep adding the icing sugar, 100g at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you have a stiff white fondant.
Line a tray with greaseproof paper, put the fondant in the tray, and press flat. Cover with cling film and leave in the freezer for an hour.
In the meantime, toast the coconut in the oven – spread thinly on a large baking sheet and cook in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for around 5 minutes until the coconut is just golden. Watch it carefully – it can burn very easily. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Remove the fondant from the freezer. Cut into bars (mine were finger length and just wider than finger width).
Melt the chocolate in a bowl above a pan of barely simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, dip each piece of the sugar paste into the chocolate, then roll in the coconut. Transfer to a sheet of greasproof paper and allow to set.

Annapops many congratulations for your granddaughter. You must be so proud of her.
I have a granddaughter who has been accepted by BTUK, Ballet Theatre UK. She too did her audition remotely. The first meet up was cancelled last month so she is very excited that it will go ahead this Sunday.
I know Mawb2 has a grandson who dances, I think with the Birmingham Ballet School. Such talented grandchildren.

PS
Glad to see some of the internees have broken out , looking forward to the return of the others , they include some of my favourite posters
I hope ann had a better night ,

Good morning Auntyflo and all x

Good Morning all from a damp CoArmagh . It was pitch black when I first looked out but brighter now , not that I’ll be going anywhere
My phone rings every couple of hours , it’s idiots on a recorded message trying to convince me to do something daft about my internet , or my AmAzon Prime. , I just hang up , I put it on ansaphone , but that didn’t deter them , now I’ve taken it off that and will let it ring out
I hope I don’t miss proper calls !

Taking DH to collect his new reading glasses this morning and am having my hair cut this afternoon, so an exciting day ahead. Beautiful morning so all is well so far. Planted up my spring pots yesterday but will leave the tulips for the borders another couple of weeks. It’s all a bit of an effort but so rewarding when we have spring colour and I am impressed by my own foresight. Hope we all have a good day, especially the newly released prisoners.

Good morning from a chilly but sunny N Hants.
Marydoll I’m intrigued. Why do leftover potatoes prompt you to make chocolate macaroon bars?
Wholeheartedly agree with your comments. So many of us need this thread with its gentleness.
Welcome home to some of the doghouse4. Hopefully soon the rest will join them in ‘freedom’.
Thinking of all the missing and thanking everyone who share their lives with us.
Take care, stay safe

Sheepandcattle welcome to this lovely thread.

Annapops congratulations to your very talented dgd! I feel very sorry for the dancers at Ballet West. I always went to see them at Christmas time and their dancing was fantastic for such a young company. Long may she dance! I attended a local ballet school when I was a child as I had dreams. The reality was far different. I was too stecky. A good Scots word for lacking in agility! It's a grey but clearing morn in Polmont. I had a long lie after two days of toddler sitting. I had a visit from my aunt and uncle yesterday too who are obviously clearing stuff out and brought stuff for me and my son. I hate stuff and have fought hard to downsize my wee house so it'll get the bums rush. I won't see my son for a while so I'll have to store his stuff in my dining room which annoys me intensely! Today I have no plans to do much. A WhatsApp chat with a group of friends this afternoon is probably all. I'll make a chicken curry that I didn't get round to yesterday and make stock with the carcass. Have a good day all.

Long time lurker, first time posting - good morning everyone. Beautiful morning here in Wiltshire on the farm. Plans for today are to sort through our spring-calving herd and move the in-calf cows down to our water meadow for a last bite of the grass before coming indoors for the winter. The ‘old girls’ who didn’t go back to the bull this year will move with their calves into the other summer-calving herd along with the weaned heifers. My excitement at this time of year comes from counting up the ‘coloured-bums’ on the ewes ..... the first week that the rams go in with them we put yellow raddle on them so as they ‘cover’ a ewe, they will leave a yellow patch on her rump. The second week in, the rams get red raddle ( that’s where we are now) and then on the third week (tomorrow), we go blue. Yesterday, 12 days in, 150 put of 162 had coloured bums, which bodes well for a fast and furious lambing time at the end of February! Wishing you all a happy and peaceful day.

Congratulations to your gd annapops. You must be very proud.

Just wanted to add to my post about DS2. He was our most troublesome child. Very bright, a talented footballer etc. He dropped out of 2 universities, changed jobs in a regular basis and married the wrong woman.

Then, he got a good degree aged 35, met a woman with 2 children and now has a good job which he loves and he loves his garden and cooking. The teapot encompassed all that.

Good morning from a now damp Morecambe Bay though it promises to be dry. We are having a company come to repair the scuffs on our car later. Not sure how they happened, they appeared overnight. We wondered if the milkman caught it as he brushed past with his crate. It was an insurance package that we «given» as incentive to buy when we bought the car. Minor damage can be repaired for 3 years.
DH can stay home and sort him/her out. I’m off to prune 30 roses!
Take care and stay everyone?

Congratulations too from me on your grandaughter’s great achievement Annapops. How exciting and what lovely news for you all

Good morning everyone from a bright and sunny north Kent. Raises the spirits to see blue skies and the sun.
Nothing much planned for today. Rained all day yesterday so we spent the day mostly indoors, so it will be good to find a few things to do outside. I might squirrel-proof my pots that I planned with spring bulbs. We have two of the furry b*****s who have emigrated from the nearby park. They have become more adventurous and confident over the last few weeks; they raid the bird feeders every now and then, scampering up the garden with their ill-gotten gains and digging in my pots whilst keeping a beady eye on the back door through which I have been known to erupt to chase them off. They usually wait until I have almost reached them before they smirk and skip up the garden, waving their tails as they go - I’m sure they use their tails in the squirrel equivalent of a two-finger gesture!
Glad to see some of the Doghouse4 have been released. Hope those with illnesses and worries have a better day. Have a good Wednesday. Stay safe

Many congratulations to your granddaughter Annapops.

Good morning all from a still dark Glasgow. It's 11° C and no rain expected, so I should get the rest of the bulbs planted.

Yesterday, knowing about my tablet making, a lovely gran alerted me to the fact that there will be a programme about the Kilted Fudge shop in Aviemore, on Channel five at 8pm on Friday. It will be hosted by Susan Calman, who always reminds me of wee Jimmy Krankie! Sorry Susan!
I went into their website, oh how I would love to work there.
Anyway, I have left over potatoes and this has prompted me to make chocolate macaroon bars today.

DH had an appointment for his flu at the local football stadium yesterday. Knowing he was a bit of a big feartie wimp about injections I asked if he wanted company in case he felt lighted headed.
His reply: I will be fine, but it would be a good idea for you to drive and give your car a run He just wouldn't admit it. Never again! I have been driving for over forty years, but at one point he thought he was my driving instructor, so I was about to eject him from the car.
Hating the one way system in town, I took a route down the back streets, less stressful, avoiding the system, lots of traffic lights and road works. His response to my comment of how quick my route had been: I TIMED you, my route was faster.?

The Doghouse4 are now Doghouse2.
Whatever you feel about their suspension, this lovely gentle thread is not the place to be unpleasant about them and air your opinions.
Loneliness and isolation make life difficult for all of us, especially in present times, so I'm glad to see the two miscreants posters return from solitary..
I never realised how many people read enjoy this thread and take comfort from this it, but don't post. Please join in, everyone is so welcoming.
Mick, thank you for initiating this gentle and supportive thread.

Keeping everyone who is missing in our thoughts and sending healing vibes to all with pain and sorrow.
I do hope Gilly and Bluesapphire know we are thinking of them.
Enjoy your day, the best you can.

Good luck for this afternoon Jax.
Yes it is Mars we can see by the moon. It is at its closest to earth for another 15 years. It was cloudy here last night ?.

Annapops ???